Wednesday, 5/5/2010

It's been a while since I cooked a Pot Roast, so I decided to give it a try again. I used the recipe that came with my Slow Cooker. To loosely quote Ben:

"It was enjoyable, but I've had better."
"I would be perfectly happy if that exact dish was in our regular dinner rotation. However, I wouldn't mind if it was more moist and flavorful."

So, there is room for improvement:) The recipe does give the option to brown the roast in a skillet over medium heat before placing in the cooking pot. I haven't done that before, but perhaps that would help to seal in more moisture and add flavor. Also, I have not attempted to make a gravy out of the juices. I'll give those options a try next time. I cooked our 2 1/2 pound roast for 10 hours on LO, seasoned with steak seasoning, kosher salt, and pepper. Here's the recipe as it is printed.


BEEF ROAST WITH VEGETABLES

2-2 1/2 pound beef roast
salt and pepper to taste
1 small onion, quartered or sliced
4 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 medium potatoes, quartered and halved
1/2 cup water

Cook at:
LO for 9 to 10 hours
HI for 5-6 hours

1. If desired, brown roast in skillet over medium heat of range unit before placing into stoneware cooking pot. Season as desired. Place vegetables around roast. Add water.
2. Place pot into heating base, cover and cook at desired heat setting for time given or until meat and vegetables are tender. (Meat thermometer should read 170° for well done). Thicken juices with mixture of 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water if desired. Set control to HI and slowly stir mixture into juiced until thickened. Serves 4.